Dan Brown: The Lost SymbolHis newest novel is full of spiritual truths, historical facts, and information about our nation's forefathers, many of whom were members of the Masons. An exciting story even if there are some gaps in logic that left me shaking my head. He's not the best writer, but he does a lot of research into his subject matter.

Patricia Panahi: God Outside the Box: A Story of Breaking FreeI enjoyed Patricia's book and related to her spiritual quest and exploration of many different paths, religions and beliefs. The daughter of a Muslim father and Catholic mother, Patricia grew up in Iran and later came to the United States, where she began her quest to find God "outside the box". From rebirthing to shamanism,Hinduism to metaphysics, I felt like I was reliving my own spiritual journey. Patricia explores many concepts and ideas in her book, such as synchronicity, reincarnation, and sacred contracts. I was never bored. In fact, I didn't want the book to end. I'm now looking forward to her next book

Deepak Chopra: The Third Jesus: The Christ We Cannot IgnoreThe Jesus that Chopra presents to us is a teacher of God consciousness and a walking example of one who lived in this state of consciousness. I most resonate with this Jesus and even those who do not see themselves as Christians will be inspired and fed by the teachings of Jesus as they are presented by Chopra.

Elizabeth Gilbert: Eat Pray LoveA delightful memoir about Gilbert's one-year sabbatical following her divorce. She seeks to find pleasure again in Italy, to find God in an ashram in India, and balance in Indonesia learning from an old medicine man. A spiritual journey (and, in the end, a love story) that is fun, humorous and wonderfully told.

Byron Katie: Loving What IsThis book gives you the key to unlocking the door that can lead to a life of inner peace and joy. If everyone in the world would read this book there would be no more war.

Charles Fillmore: Metaphysical Bible DictionaryBased on the teachings of Jesus Christ, this book provides the esoteric meanings of words, names and places. A valuable resource for all Bible students who want to delve into metaphysical interpretation of scripture.

Music is a universal language. You don't have to understand the words of a song in order for it to touch your heart and reverberate in your soul. There are millions of songs with no words. Think of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony or the Moonlight Sonata. This music has endured because it does reach us on a level that mere words cannot.

Have you ever heard a song and then it continued to play in your mind throughout the day? You couldn't seem to get rid of it, no matter what you tried.

My husband and I went to a dinner theatre last night and saw The Sound of Music. I love the songs in that musical, and it was hard for me to keep from singing along with the actors. And, driving home afterwards, the song, "I Am Sixteen Going on Seventeen" started playing over and over in my head. In fact, I went to sleep hearing it. I have no idea why that particular song stuck with me, and that's part of the mystery of music and its effect on us.

Watch this very short video about a project, "Playing For Change: Peace Through Music". It only takes a moment, but it shows the universality of music and it's ability to touch people around the world. Maybe music is a way to bring peace to the world. If everyone would just put down their guns and listen for awhile....

I grew up with a religious belief system where God, as that supreme being in the clouds, was responsible for all that happened to us. It was very Old Testament. If we were experiencing challenges, it was because God was punishing us.

As I explored new belief systems, I encountered the idea that we may not be responsible for what happens to us, but rather how we experience it--the meaning we assign to it and how we choose to respond to it. Victor Frankyl's book, Man's Search for Meaning, was my first encounter with this idea. During his incarceration in a Nazi concentration camp, death and indignities were part of his daily life. Frankyl had the realization that, although he could not change the fact that he was in this situation, he could control how he chose to react to it. He could choose his own behavior and attitude towards it. Frankyl's book changed my life.

Later, I found New Thought and Unity and began to read about the "Law of Mind Action" and the "Law of Attraction". I found this to be very empowering and it helped me to see my life from a much higher perspective. It required me to see that I (my subconscious) had drawn to me experiences that reflected my soul's level of overall consciousness as well as those situations that might enable my soul to learn and grow as part of my human experience.

It is a hard principle to embrace for most people and I don't think the greater population will accept it. To say that we choose to be molested or to die in a car accident is beyond belief for most people. For me, it took my acceptance of reincarnation to see the bigger picture. If I believed that I lived only one lifetime and then it was over, it would be more difficult to accept this idea. But seeing myself as a soul that has been through many lifetimes gives me a different viewpoint. In seeing the eternal life of my soul, I have accepted that I ultimately have responsibility for what I experience and how I experience it. It is empowering when you look at it. It means that if we create our life experiences, we can choose to create different experiences if we don't like what we see in our past.

When we choose to accept this idea of responsibility, it can be easy to start blaming ourselves for what we've experienced. But blaming and punishing ourselves is not the answer. That takes us back to our Old Testament mentality. Jesus spoke often about forgiveness. It was very simple to him...he said, "Go and sin no more." In other words, you've realized your mistake, don't do it again. It is about coming into awareness and growing in consciousness.

All this being said, I sometimes would like to feel that there is a protector on a white cloud who will rescue me from some of my antics. When I gave up that idea it was like finding out there was no Santa Claus. But when I accepted the idea that the same Spirit that was within Jesus was also within me, it was powerful. It meant that I was never without God. I didn't have to pray to a God outside of me and hope he would respond.

Anyway, that's just a bit of my journey and what I've come to believe. It's obviously something that we each need to make up our minds about.

My father was a big believer in doing things. In fact, he'd often say: "Do something--even if it's wrong." I was often warned about the virtue of hard work and warned not to be lazy. As a result, it has been difficult for me not to be doing something all the time; in fact, I'm a multi-tasker. If I'm sitting on the couch watching television, I'm often doing something else at the same time--even if it's catalog shopping or reading a book. I'm getting better at relaxing, but for years I felt guilty when I did nothing.

Sometimes the best thing we can do is nothing. When we have come to the point in a situation or relationship where we have done all we can do, then it is time to release it--let go and let God. It can be a hard thing to do because it involves trust. Can we trust the Universe, God, that the highest good is unfolding in the process?

When my father was a farmer, he planted crops every year. He had to plow, till, and plant and then wait. It was up to nature to take it's course. The seeds had to take root and grow. My father had to trust that process. And every year the plants came popping up through the ground, raising their heads toward the sun--like magic, it seemed to me when I was a child.

Life is about knowing when to take action and when to do nothing. It's about trusting the process of life and knowing that there is an energy, a force at work that we can't see, but exists nevertheless. When we do our part--planting the seeds or taking the actions that we need to take in the gardens of our lives, then we need to let go and let God take over.

Take some time today to sit outside and see how God works in nature. Notice the trees with their new leaves, the grass springing up after the first mowing, the flowers unfolding from their tight buds. It all happens without effort, naturally, in perfect divine order.

Last Sunday was Earth Day, but I don't believe we should focus only one day of the year on taking care of the home that we live in. We are stewards of this planet and it is up to us to keep it as clean and healthy as possible. Over the last century, civilization has wreaked havoc on the environment through thoughtless behavior and a lack of respect in addition to ignorance. Now we are being told that we must make changes or else there is disaster ahead.

As a New Thought practitioner, I believe that we must approach our work to restore the health of the planet with the right attitude and beliefs. We must walk a fine line. If we are constantly affirming lack and holding a negative attitude, we will be creating more of the same. We must instead hold in our minds a picture of a healthy planet and believe that our resources are abundant and unlimited and yet be willing to take positive steps in the outer to support this vision.

Here are some things that have been recommended:

Eat less meat: A plant-based diet generally requires less land, energy, and other resources. Crop-based food requires an average of 0.78 global hectares per ton of food, compared to 2.1 global hectares required to produce one ton of animal-based food. (This is a healthier diet for us anyway, according to research.)

Drive a fuel-efficient vehicleand reduce the amount that you drive-walk, cycle, carpool, or use public transportation instead.

Avoid purchasing disposable items with lots of packaging.Re-use items when possible, and always recycle items that are recyclable.

Compost kitchen waste:Garbage that is not contaminated with degradable (biological) waste can be more easily recycled and sorted, and doesn't produce methane gases (a significant greenhouse gas contributor) when stored in a landfill.

Let's give thanks every day for the beautiful home that we are blessed with in this vast universe. And let's envision this earth healthy and clean and capable of supporting all living things for many generations to come.

My husband and I recently rented the movie "Charlotte's Web" which I really enjoyed. In the movie, based on the book by the same name, Charlotte is a spider who creates elaborate webs with a message about a little runt pig, Wilbur, in order to save him from becoming pork chops. It is a lovely movie in and of itself, but it got me to thinking of how, like Charlotte the spider, we humans also create the web of our lives from within ourselves.

Many people think that creation is something that takes place in the outer--something we do. But creativity and creation comes from within us. We create from the consciousness that we have developed and it is then expressed out in the world.

Our webs of abundance are created through the development of our inner consciousness, made up of our thoughts and feelings. It involves our faith and our feelings of worthiness. If we doubt our worthiness of this prosperity, we short-circuit the process.

We are always creating through our consciousness. What we create is up to us. If we hold thoughts of lack and poverty, we create more of the same. Perhaps you recognize the same concept that is taught in the movie, "The Secret." Yes, the "Law of Attraction" and what we call the "Law of Mind Action" are very much the same. They are both about how our consistently held thoughts, beliefs and emotions create our experience in life.

What kind of web are you creating for yourself? Are you happy with it? If not, then it is helpful to take a look at your consistently held thoughts, beliefs and emotions.

William Lishman joined the Royal Canadian Air Cadets because he loved to fly. He was color blind, however, and was released from duty. He found another vocation--helping endangered birds migrate to safer havens using an ultralight plane. It was his story that was featured in the movie "Fly Away Home." He is now on a mission to help the Whooping Cranes make it to Florida. If you'd like to know where they are in their current migration or see some beautiful video of migrating birds in flight, go to their web site: http://operationmigration.org/index.html

This story reminds me of something that I read years ago. Its unclear who originally wrote it, but it's message is wonderful.

Lessons Learned From Geese

Fact: As each goose flaps its wings it creates an "uplift" for the birds that follow. By flying in a V-formation, the whole flock adds 72% greater flying range than if each bird flew alone.

Lesson: People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the thrust of another.

Fact: When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of flying alone. It quickly moves back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front of it.

Lesson: If we have as much sense as a goose we stay in formation with those headed where we want to go. We are willing to accept their help and give out help to others.

Fact:When the lead goose tires, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies to the point position.

Lesson: It pays to take turns going the hard tasks and sharing leadership. As with geese, people are interdependent on each other's skills, capabilities, and unique arrangements of gifts, talents, and resources.

Fact: The geese flying formation honk to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

Lesson: We need to make sure our honking is encouraging. In groups where there is encouragement, the production is greater. The power of encouragement (to stand by one's heart or core values and encourage the heart and core of others) is the quality of honking we seek.

Fact: When a goose gets sick, wounded, or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with it until it dies or is able to fly again. Then, they launch out with another formation or catch up with the flock.

Lesson: If we had as much sense as geese, we will stand by each other in difficult times as well as when we are strong.

In Unity we use the expression "co-creators with God." What does that mean? My interpretation is that as we get in touch with the creative power within us, which is God, and focus that energy in the direction of our goals and desires, then we allow those desires to come into manifestation.

What is ours to do in this process of creation and what is God's part? God is that creative force within us. As Jesus put it, "It is not I but the Father within who does the work." Jesus was acknowledging that creative force or energy which is our essence.

Our job in the process is to stay focused on this power and to take positive steps in the direction of our goals, dreams and desires having faith that this process is unfolding. Spending time every day visualizing our goals manifested is part of that. Feeling the emotions of having succeeded is the next step. And giving thanks is the third step.

What if we don't see results from these efforts? Well, it might be because of our inner-most thoughts, feelings and beliefs. Do we really believe that we can achieve these goals? Do we feel that we are worthy of receiving this good that we desire? These are questions we must ask ourselves.

There is also the possibility that there is a bigger plan unfolding for us that we may not be unaware of. My husband and I had wanted to purchase a condo in Chicago at one time. We found one we wanted, wrote out the goal, visualized every day and gave thanks and nothing happened. The down payment was not there. We were disappointed and frustrated. Later, it became apparent to us that the reason was that we were not supposed to live there. My new job was in the city and the commute would have been rough. The creative force is intelligent and all-knowing. We must be able to trust that intelligence and not be attached to our goals. When I affirm my goals I often say, "This or something better."

The creative process brings us good things, but it is what we learn along the way that really benefits us long term. In other words, life is more about the journey than the destination. Enjoy the journey!

There is a fable about a man who was given the opportunity to visit both Heaven and Hell. The first place that he was shown was Hell, but he was surprised to see beautiful flowers of every kind, sunshine and to hear birds singing. He also caught the aroma of food cooking and was shown to a large banquet table where hundreds of emaciated people were sitting. The table was loaded with mouth-watering food and yet the souls who sat there were starving. The visitor noted that each person had a long-handled spoon chained to their wrists. The handles were so long that whenever they tried to feed themselves the food spilled on the table. The frustrated and angry faces of the people made it clear that they were truly suffering.

The visitor asked to visit Heaven then, feeling very depressed by what he had seen in hell. There he was surprised to see the same beautiful surroundings that he had seen in Hell. And the smell of the food was the same also. But when he saw the long banquet table in heaven, there were hundreds of well-fed, happy people. The difference, he quickly noted, was that the people were using the long-handled spoons to feed the person across the table from themselves.

The difference between Heaven and Hell is in our choice of how to react to a situation in our lives. Two people can encounter the same challenge and one will find a blessing in it and the other will be miserable and depressed. Sometimes the answer to our own suffering is to do something as simple as reaching out to another person in need and helping them.

When I was five years old, and in kindergarten, a little boy ran off with my box of crayons--you know the big box, the one with six shades of blue. I punched him in the stomach, I was so mad. I felt justified, too--after all, stealing is wrong (the idea of borrowing wasn't in my mind at that time). Well, I got punched back. The little thief punched me. I was shocked. And unfortunately, he could hit harder so I got the wind knocked out of me. It provided me with a lesson though. Don't punch people because they will punch you back and maybe even harder.

I heard on the news yesterday that the Bush administration is considering military action against Iran. We are upset with Iran's decision to develop nuclear weapons and because of this we are considering bombing them with nuclear weapons. Does anyone else see the hypocrisy in this? And just as I learned in kindergarten, if you punch someone (or bomb them) they're probably going to strike back.

There is a Wild West mentality in the Bush administration today. Sheriff Bush straps on his six-guns and strolls up the street looking for the "bad guys". Bush sees himself as the great messiah of the world, it seems to me. He's out to prove himself as the strong leader. And yet...here is a man who claims to be a Christian, a follower of Jesus, one of the greatest pacifists in the history of the world. A man who told us to "turn the other cheek" and "love your enemies."

Jesus knew the truth, the hard lesson that I learned back in kindergarten--violence begets violence.

Back in kindergarten, my teacher sat me down with the little boy who hit me. She made us talk to each other and apologize. The little boy told me that his box of crayons had disappeared and he thought I had taken them. I understood then why he did what he did and I forgave him. We ate our graham crackers together and I shared my crayons with him for the rest of the morning.

I don't have answers to all the world's problems. But kindergarten taught me that violence begets violence and talking solves problems. Perhaps President Bush needs to go back to kindergarten...

When I was a senior in high school, my class held a walk-out to protest a rule the principal had made that we students didn't like. I don't even remember what it was now, but I remember the day that we walked out, which was right before the Christmas break. We were all suspended from school and before we could come back we had to memorize a one-page essay called "Choices."

"All men are dominated by their choices," it began. I memorized the essay, but I thought it was a bunch of baloney at the time. But now, many years later, I realize that there was some truth to that essay and that first line has stayed with me.

The choices we make do have an affect on our life. As one woman said, "If we choose to eat crackers in bed, we have to sleep with the crumbs."

If we're not happy with our lives today, we must look at the choices we've made in the past and take responsibility for what we've created. Then we must decide to make different choices. Each moment of every day allows us the opportunity to choose what we will think, who we will be, how we will act. God gives us the power to create our lives through this ability to choose. And if we've made a choice that isn't working for us, God merely says, "Choose again."

I have selected photographs that make me smile and brighten my day. I hope they will do that for you as well. Click on the photos to see an enlarged view. I invite you to visit often and see what I add to my collection.